Building a Morally Sensitive Society: The Role of Catholic Schools

Abstract

The Catholic Church considers morality to be synonymous with life. Evil and death came into the world that was created good when Adam and Eve in disobedience ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and their eyes were opened to the realization of good and evil. Morality, especially within the context of Moral Theology in the Catholic Church, is hinged on some basic concepts including freedom, truth, natural law, and conscience. Generally, moral sensitivity or moral awareness is the ability to recognize moral issues when they arise especially in day-to-day living. Largely, the Catholic Church views the holistic formation of people as indispensable for achieving their potential to live responsibly in their society. Catholic schools were known for being disciplined in all ramifications – punctuality, meeting deadlines, cleanliness, examination integrity, diligence, commitment of staff, responsibility and accountability, mutual respect, decency, orderliness, care of students, high academic achievement, and excellence in all ramifications. The moral atmosphere of Catholic schools will definitely affect the moral atmosphere outside the four walls of the schools. Since education is an essential way of directly and indirectly impacting the society, the holistic formation Catholic Schools are expected to provide their beneficiaries at all levels will incredibly and invariably impact the larger society.